2000-01 LADY COUGAR BASKETBALL Houston Lady Cougars (11-6, 4-1 C-USA) vs South Florida Bulls (3-13, 0-5 C-USA) Hofheinz Pavilion - Houston, Texas Sunday, January 21, 2001-2:00pm (CT) Game No. 18 (11-6) - C-USA Game #6 (4-1) - Home Game No. 6 (4-1) FAST FACTS ON THE GAME Houston Lady Cougars South Florida Bulls 11-6... 2000-01 Record...3-13 4-1... 2000-01 Conference Record... 0-5 Joe Curl... Head Coach... Jose Fernandez www.uhcougars.com... Website... www.gousfbulls.com Scarlet and White...School Colors... Green and Gold Conference USA...Conference...Conference USA Hofheinz Pavilion...Home Arena...USF Sun Dome 8,479... Home Arena Capacity... 10,411 HOUSTON LEADING C-USA S NATIONAL DIVISION The Lady Cougars enter this afternoon s game tied with Tulane atop the National Diviison of C- USA with a 4-1 record after defeating Tulane in overtime, 90-80, last Sunday, January 14... The four wins against C-USA opponents marks Houston s highest win total ever since joining the league in 1996-97... The victory over Tulane was also the Lady Cougars second-straight win against C-USA, the first time ever they have posted back-to-back wins in conference play as well as back-to-back conference wins on the road... Houston kicked off Conference USA action this season with a big 82-59 win over South Florida on January 2... The victory snapped Houston s 10-game losing streak against C-USA opponents and marked their first win over a C- USA school since defeating Southern Miss, 86-76, in Houston on January 23, 2000... The 23- point win was the largest margin of victory Houston has ever had over a Conference USA opponent since becoming a founding member of the conference prior to the 1996-97 season... The Lady Coogs have posted an 15-63 (.221) lifetime mark against C-USA opponents... They posted a 3-13 record during the 1999-00 campaign... Houston is 7-15 (.318) in C-USA action over the last two seasons. LAST TIME ON THE COURT: HOUSTON WINS BIG IN OVERTIME AT TULANE TO TIE THE GREEN WAVE ATOP THE NATIONAL DIVISION Houston snapped a seven-game losing streak against Tulane last Sunday (Jan. 14) afternoon in handing the Green Wave a 90-80 overtime loss, marking Houston s first win against Tulane since both schools joined C-USA... Houston entered the contest knowing that a victory would give them a 4-1 record to tie Tulane with the overall best record in C-USA; but more importantly, it would put them alone atop the National Division... In a physical game from tip-off, Houston started slow and entered half-time down to Tulane, 34-31, thanks in part to the Green Wave s Janell Burse s 14 points... The Lady Cougar offense got into a rhythm and came alive in the second half... Freshman Chandi Jones poured in 22 second-half points, including making all six of her free throw attempts, and senior Monet Sykes key shots accumulated for 17 points as Houston took the lead within the first six minutes of the half and outscored Tulane, 38-35... Down by two points with 22 seconds left in regulation, the Green Wave tied the score at 69-69 to force the game into overtime as Burse nailed both of her free throws... In overtime, Tulane scored first and the Lady Cougars went on a rampage... They would score 21 points in the next four-and-a-half minutes 12 coming on free throw shots from six Tulane fouls and hold off the Green Wave for their second-straight C-USA win and their third consecutive win overall... Senior Jessica Shanklin, who had a Lady Cougar season-high 11 assists in the game, connected for all four of her free throw attempts and Sykes added six points in the extra minutes... In addition to Jones, who shot 10-of 26 on the day including 9-of-11 from the free throw line, and Sykes, who shot 10-of-21 on the afternoon, senior ShaRonda Lasseter was the other Lady Cougar to score in double figures as she shot 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for 10 points... Sykes pulled down a team-high eight boards and added four steals LADY COUGAR PROBABLE STARTERS # Name Pos _ Cl Ht PPG _ RPG _Hometown 21.. Cathy Lida... G...Sr.... 6-1...7.8...4.5... Chambery, France 14.. Chandi Jones... G...Fr.... 5-10...22.1...6.1... Bay City, Texas 44.. Nicole Oliver... F...Fr.... 5-10...3.5...3.6... South Sioux City, Neb. 24.. ShaRonda Lasseter... C...Sr.... 6-3...9.1...6.1... Savannah, Ga. 23.. Monet Sykes... F...Sr.... 5-10...11.8...6.9... Cerritos, Ca. UH RECORD IN 2000-01 Home... 4-1 Road... 5-5 Neutral... 2-0 C-USA... 4-1 Overall... 11-6 HOUSTON S NEXT GAME vs MEMPHIS Friday, January 26-7:00pm Overall Series MEM leads 8-0 In Houston... 0-4 In Memphis... 0-4 Neutral... 0-0 LIFETIME SERIES Date Site Score 1/26/97... Houston...L, 73-79 1/19/97... Memphis...L, 72-77 2/21/97... Houston...L, 81-86 (OT) 1/16/98... Houston...L, 80-84 (OT) 2/22/98... Memphis...L, 66-82 1/17/99... Memphis...L, 65-75 2/19/99... Houston...L, 69-94 1/15/00... Memphis...L, 48-69 2/6/00...Houston...L, 61-86 2000-01 SCHEDULE & RESULTS Date Opponent Time/Result 11/6... HOUSTON JAGUARS (EX)... W,102-55 11/14... HOUSTON FLIGHT (EX)... W, 95-75 11/17... vs McNEESE STATE... W, 104-45 11/22... at Nebraska... L, 65-53 11/25... at Pepperdine#... L, 83-59 11/26... vs Kentucky#... W, 78-77 11/29... at UT-San Antonio... W, 71-57 12/1... INDIANA%... L, 77-81 12/3... LOUISIANA TECH%... W, 71-52 12/10... at Georgia... L, 61-92 12/18... E. Washington/Honolulu, Hawaii^. W, 73-60 12/19... Detroit/Honolulu, Hawaii^... W, 90-80 12/20... Hawai i/honolulu, Hawaii^... L. 74-85 12/30... MIDDLE TENNESSEE... W, 77-72 1/2... at South Florida*... W, 82-59 1/5... at Cincinnati*... L, 62-63 (OT) 1/7... LOUISVILLE*... W, 85-63 1/12... at Southern Miss*... W, 66-56 1/14... at Tulane*...W, 90-80 (OT) 1/21... SOUTH FLORIDA*...2pm 1/26... MEMPHIS*...7pm 1/28... UAB*...2pm 2/2... at Charlotte*...7pm 2/4... at Saint Louis*...2pm 2/9... SOUTHERN MISS*...7pm 2/11... TULANE*...2pm 2/16... MARQUETTE*...7pm 2/18... DePAUL*...2pm 2/20... at UT-Pan American...7pm 2/23... at Memphis*...7pm 2/25... at UAB*...2pm 3/2-3/5... C-USA Tournament/Milw., Wis...TBA Home games (CAPS) are played in Hofheinz Pavilion. Game times are Central. * - Indicates Conference USA regular season game. # - Pepperdine Classic. % - Hilton Houston Hobby Airport Classic. ^ - Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic. Schedule subject to change.
PAGE 2 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 ABOUT THE GAMES HOUSTON VS SOUTH FLORIDA Overall Series USF leads 7-1 In Houston... 0-4 In Florida... 1-3 Neutral... 0-0 LIFETIME SERIES Date Site Score 1/26/97... Houston...L, 73-79 12/4/97... Houston...L, 65-67 2/8/98...Tampa...L, 46-53 11/25/98... Tampa...L, 67-78 2/5/99...Houston...L, 61-63 1/2/00...Houston...L, 63-73 2/27/00... Tampa...L, 62-89 1/2/01...Tampa...W, 82-59... Overall in the game, the Houston defense had 16 steals against Tulane and also forced 23 Green Wave turnovers to Tulane s 15 off the Lady Cougars. A WIN THIS AFTERNOON... The Lady Cougars are looking to extend their season-high winning streak to four straight with a win over South Florida today... The Lady Cougars current streak marks the first time they ve posted three consecutive wins since last season when they won back-to-back-to-back defeats at UTEP (68-66) on HOUSTON IN C -USA YEAR-BY-YEAR Year Record 1996-97...0-14 1997-98...3-13 1998-99...1-15 1999-00...3-13 2000-01...4-1 January 4, against Saint Louis (53-52) on January 7 and against Charlotte (57-52) on January 9... A win today would also be Houston s unprecedented third-straight over a C-USA foe for the first time ever... They have won two straight against C-USA only one other time prior to this season: those consecutive wins against Saint Louis and Charlotte last season... Houston last posted four straight W s during a six-game winning streak from January 25-February 11 of the 1994-95 season... In addition, a victory would improve Houston s overall season record to 12-6 and give them the most wins since closing out the 1995-96 season at 12-16. HOUSTON VS C-USA LIFETIME (15-63,.221) AMERICAN School Record Charlotte... 2-3 (.400) Cincinnati... 0-7 (.000) DePaul... 2-6 (.250) Louisville... 1-5 (.200) Marquette... 0-4 (.000) Saint Louis... 2-2 (.500) NATIONAL School Record UAB... 2-6 (.250) Memphis... 0-9 (.000) South Florida... 1-7 (.125) Southern Miss. 3-6 (.333) Tulane... 2-8 (.200) MEDIA INFORMATION Cougar Media Relations Main Line 713/743-9404 Amy Abramczyk (WBB SID) 713/743-9391 Fax 713/743-9411 Hofheinz Pavilion Press Row 713/743-9477 Lady Cougar Basketball Office 713/743-9460 1-800-687-UHUH UH Basketball Ticket Office 713/743-9460 NEXTEL COUGAR HOTLINE Get up to date on all the latest UH scores, stats and notes by calling the Nextel Cougar Hotline at (713) 743-COOG (2664). The Nextel Cougar Hotline enables anyone to get final scores and updates on all University of Houston sports events with a single phone call, 24 hours a day. CONFERENCE USA FAX ON DEMAND WOMEN S BASKETBALL UH C-USA Complete Release 1521# 1121# Statistics and Results 1522# 1122# Roster/Schedule 1523# 1123# Notes 1524# N/A Box Score 1525# N/A Special 1526# 1126# Championship N/A 1127# Credential Request N/A 1128# COOGS ON THE WEB Information of the University of Houston Athletics Department, sports programs, coaches, players, facilities, history, statistical updates and results for all sports available at www.uhcougars.com ON A ROLL AND MOVIN ON UP The Lady Cougars have won seven of their last 10 games, five of their last six and four of their last five... Should they win this afternoon, the Lady Cougars would rest six games above the.500 mark for the first time since the 1991-92 season when they posed a 14-3 record at the same point of the season and eventually closed out the year 22-8 overall... They have not finished a season above.500 since that year... With the win their last time out on the court at Tulane on January 14, the Lady Cougars won their 11th game of the season to surpass the total number of victories during each of the last four seasons... A win today would match the 12 total wins of the 1996-97 squad (12-16 overall). A FURTHER LOOK AT TODAY S GAME The Lady Cougars face the Bulls for the second time this season, as they opened conference play with an 82-59 win over South Florida on January 2 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa... The win was Houston s first ever against the Bulls in eight meetings between the two schools since 1996-97... The 23-point margin of victory over South Florida on Jan. 2 was Houston s largest margin ever over a C-USA opponent... Should Houston defeat USF again this afternoon, it would mark the first time in school history that they have swept both games of a season series against a C-USA opponent. HOUSTON IN THE RPI RANKINGS As of January 16, the University of Houston Lady Cougars were ranked 58th among women s hoops programs by the Collegiate Basketball News RPI ratings... Houston was second among C-USA schools only behind Memphis (54), and was rated ahead of DePaul (71), Tulane (73), UAB (87), Cincinnati (90), Marquette (100), Saint Louis (102), Louisville (109), Charlotte (146), Southern Miss (163) and South Florida (217)... Overall, Conference USA was rated ninth of the 10 collegiate conferences that received rankings... In addition, for the first time this season Houston received two votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 Women s College Basketball Poll that came out January 14. LADY COUGARS AMONG C-USA LEADERS Houston s Monet Sykes is fourth in C-USA with four double-doubles on the year, senior ShaRonda Lasseter is tied for fifth with three and freshman Chandi Jones is one of 12 players to record one double-double this season... In addition, Jones is second in the conference in scoring an average of 22.1 points per game behind UAB s Deanna Jackson (26.5 ppg) and remains the nation s leading freshman scorer... She is also one of 12 C-USA players to score 30 or more points in a game this season, which she has done twice: 32 vs LaTech on Dec. 30 LADY COUGARS NUMERICAL ROSTER No Name Pos _Ht _ Class _ Hometown 3...Valerie Muoneke...F/C...6-2.. Jr.-TR... Houston, Texas/Connors State JC 5...Jessica Shanklin...G...5-5.. Sr.-1L... Baton Rouge, La./Pearl River JC 10...Courtney Pastner*...G...5-5.. So.-TR. Kingwood, Texas/Texas Tech 13...Chandi Jones...G/F...5-10 Fr.-HS.. Bay City, Texas/Bay City 21...Cathy Lida...G/F...6-1.. Sr.-1L... Chambery, France/Trinity Valley CC 23...Monet Sykes...F...5-10 Sr.-1L... Cerritos, Calif./Central Arizona JC 24...ShaRonda Lasseter...F/C...6-3.. Sr.-3L... Savannah, Ga./A.E. Beach 30...Rosalind Carter...F/C...6-2.. Jr.-2L... Clinton, Miss./Clinton 31...Norma Noel...F...5-11. Sr.-1L... Miami, Fla./Pearl River JC 32...Danielle Fenderson...G...5-8.. Sr.-3L... Jonesboro, Ga./Mount Zion 33...Angela Curl*...G/F...6-0.. Jr.-2L... Brenham, Texas/Brenham 40...Claire Stavropoulos...F/C...6-3.. So.-1L.. Miami, Fla./Miami Edison 44...Nicole Oliver...G/F...5-10 Fr.-HS.. South Sioux City, Neb./S. Sioux City *Redshirt in 2000-01
PAGE 3 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 LADY COUGARS AMONG C -USA LEADERS SCORING 2. Chandi Jones...22.1 16. Monet Sykes... 11.8 29. ShaRonda Lasseter...9.1 FIELD GOAL PCT. 11. ShaRonda Lasseter...496 REBOUNDING 8. Monet Sykes...6.9 13. Chandi Jones...6.1 14. ShaRonda Lasseter...6.1 7. Jessica Shanklin...3.94 5. Chandi Jones...2.18 10. Jessica Shanklin...1.88 11. Nicole Oliver...1.81 8. ShaRonda Lasseter...1.18 OFFENSIVE 9. Monet Sykes...2.82 DEFENSIVE 9. Monet Sykes...4.12 11. Chandi Jones...4.00 12. ShaRonda Lasseter...3.94 3-PT FIELD GOALS MADE 15. Jessica Shanklin...1.24 ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO and 31 points at Tulane on Jan. 14... ShaRonda Lasseter joins Jones as two of the eight players in C- USA to score 20-or-more points and pull down 10-ormore rebounds this year... Lasseter had 21 points and 11 boards vs Indiana on Dec. 1 and Jones scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds on Dec. 18 vs Eastern Washington. OFF TO A GOOD START Houston s current 11-6 record marks their best start through the first 17 games of a season since posting a 14-3 mark through the first 17 games of the 1991-92 campaign under previous head coach Jessie Kenlaw... That 1991-92 season was also the last time Houston made an appearance in a post-season tournament (NCAA)... After the first 18 games of that season, the Lady Coogs were 15-3. LEADING THE WAY Through conference games of January 15, Houston was leading all C-USA opponents in scoring offense (77.0/g) and a scoring margin of +12.8 points... They also rest atop the 12 C-USA schools in averaging 13.20 steals as a team per conference game and an average of 17.40 offensive rebounds per game... They are second in rebounding offense (42.2), assists (15.60), turnover margin (+8.20) and assist/turnover ratio (1.08)... Chandi Jones is the leading conference scorer in league games with an average of 24.6 points and 3.40 steals per game... Overall, Houston is among the top five in 15 of 19 conference statistical categories. THE FRESHMAN SENSATION AND AN ALL-AMERICAN IN THE MAKING Freshman newcomer Chandi Jones (Bay City, Texas) has made quite a splash so far this season for the Lady Cougars... She has started each of the first 17 games of the season, leading the squad with 376 total points... She is currently the country s leading freshman scorer and second in C-USA in averaging 22.1 points per contest... That point average also ranks her 7th overall in the country among Division I leaders... She is second on the Lady Cougars squad with 104 rebounds (6.1 rpg), tied for second with 39 assists and boasts a team-high 37 steals... Jones has scored 20 or more points in 12 games and is the only Lady Cougar to reach double figures in points in each of the first 17 games... The two-time USA Today Texas Player of the Year has recorded Lady Cougar game and season highs in both points scored (32) and rebounds (13). NATIONALLY SPEAKING Among Division I Women s Basketball statistical leaders (through games of January 15), Houston freshman Chandi Jones currently ranks 7th in the nation in scoring an average of 22.1 points per contest and is the nation s leading freshman scorer. HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS With the win over Louisville on January 7, the Lady Cougars won their third-straight home game and improve their overall record at Hofheinz Pavilion to 4-1 on the year... They last won three-straight home games during the 1997-98 season from December 8-28... They have not posted four consecutive home wins since the 1995-96 season when they posted four straight from November 28-December 29. LASSETER CONTINUES TO CLIMB IN LADY COUGAR CAREER LEADERS In addition to joining the Houston 1,000 Point Club on December 3 vs Louisiana Tech, senior center ShaRonda Lasseter currently ranks among the school s all-time career lists for career rebounds, field goal percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted and blocked shots and will continue to move up amongst the ranks throughout the year... As of January 16, 2000, the native of Savannah, Georgia, has 658 career rebounds to rank sixth on the school s all-time carom list and she is fifth in career shooting percentage (53.2, 411-773), fourth in free throws made with 262, third in free throws attempted (468) and fourth in blocked shots (88). LASSETER AMONG LADY COUGAR ALL-TIME CAREER LEADERS FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE FG-A FG% Monica Lamb, 1983-85 (390-625) 62.4 Nell Haskins, 1983-85 (232-400) 58.0 Sonya Watkins, 1982-86 (740-1290) 57.4 Vickey Finch, 1979-83 (654-1217) 53.7 ShaRonda Lasseter, 1997- (411-773) 53.2 Toni Mooney, 1980-84 (444-861) 51.6 Charlotte Reescano, 1984-86 (229-445) 51.5 Kelly McCabe, 1985-88 (403-815) 49.4 Jackie Skinner, 1981-83 (232-487) 47.6 Jennifer Jones, 1995-98 (562-1194) 47.1 Minimum 400 Attempts FREE THROWS MADE Jennifer Jones, 1995-98 372 Vickey Finch, 1979-83 362 Sonya Watkins, 1982-86 272 ShaRonda Lasseter, 1997-262 DeJuena Carter, 1983-87 253 LaShawn Johnson, 1988-92 242 Toni Mooney, 1980-84 218 Sallie Routt, 1987-89 217 Pat Luckey, 1993-96 215 Barbara Anderson, 1984-88 214 FREE THROW ATTEMPTS Vickey Finch, 1979-83 615 Jennifer Jones, 1994-98 560 ShaRonda Lasseter, 1997-468 Sonya Watkins, 1982-86 456 DeJuena Carter, 1983-87 388 Darla Simpson, 1988-92 357 Barbara Anderson, 1984-88 354 Toni Mooney, 1980-84 341 Janice Hilliard, 1977-81 336 Sallie Routt, 1987-89 335 Vickey Finch, 1979-83 1011 Darla Simpson, 1988-92 966 Jennifer Jones, 1994-98 871 Sonya Watkins, 1982-86 821 Toni Mooney, 1980-84 707 ShaRonda Lasseter, 1997-658 Kellye Jones, 1988-92 630 Barbara Anderson, 1984-88 583 Pat Luckey, 1993-96 536 Monica Lamb, 1983-85 516 Darla Simpson, 1988-92 249 Monica Lamb, 1983-85 190 Toni Mooney, 1980-84 122 ShaRonda Lasseter, 1997-88 Rosheda Hopson, 1994-96 73 Chontell Reynolds, 1992-94 71 Missy Davis, 1986-88 68 Stephanie Edwards, 1989-93 66 Margo Graham, 1991-93 62 Sonya Watkins, 1982-86 44
PAGE 4 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 DOUBLE-DOUBLE PLAY The Lady Cougars have had three players record double-doubles this season... Senior Monet Sykes has a team-leading four on the year, while fellow senior ShaRonda Lasseter has three and freshman standout Chandi Jones has one... Sykes recorded her fourth at Cincinnati on January 5 as she scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds... Lasseter and Sykes each recorded their third of the season in Houston s win over Middle Tennessee on December 30... In that game Lasseter scored 10 points and pulled down a season-high 12 rebounds while Sykes scored a season-high 18 points and 11 boards... Lasseter s other two double-doubles came against Detroit Mercy on December 19 (13 points, 12 rebounds) and December 1 vs Indiana (21 points, 11 rebounds)... Sykes previous two double-doubles came on December 18 vs Eastern Washington (17 points, 10 rebounds) and at UT-San Antonio on November 29 (16 points, 10 rebounds)... Jones sole double-double came against Eastern Washington on December 18 (20 points, 13 rebounds... The Lady Cougars have had two players record double-doubles in the same game two times this season (Dec. 30 vs Middle Tennessee and Dec. 18 vs Eastern Washington)... Lasseter now has 21 doubledoubles in her career, Sykes has four and Jones has one. CLIMBING THE C-USA ALL-TIME CHARTS According to the January 15 C-USA Women s Basketball release, Houston senior ShaRonda Lasseter was ranked 11th among active players in the league s all-time record book with 648 career rebounds... Through games of January 14, Lasseter has pulled down 658 boards in 98 career games, an average of 6.6 boards per game. THE 1,000 POINT CLUB Senior ShaRonda Lasseter, who entered this season 70 points shy of the 1,000-point plateau, became only the 15th player in Lady Cougar history to reach 1,000 points in her career when she nailed a two-point field goal with 2:03 left in the game against the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters on December 3 at Hofheinz Pavilion... The basket gave her 71 points on the season... She currently ranks 15th all-time in school history with 1,084 points scored. SHANKLIN S CAREER NIGHT The story of the Lady Cougars December 19 win over Detroit Mercy was senior guard Jessica Shanklin, who enjoyed the best performance of her collegiate career... She scored a careerhigh 27 points, including 20 in the first half, on a career-high seven three-point field goals... She nailed six three-pointers in the first half alone and later tied Jana Crosby for the secondmost three-pointers made in a single game by a Lady Cougar when she hit her seventh of the game in the second half with 7:45 left... Shanklin scored a previous career-high 19 points and registered a then-career high five three-point baskets last season against Southern Miss on February 12... Crosby made seven three-point field goals in a game twice, against Arkansas and Texas Christian University during the 1989-90 campaign. THE LADY COUGARS IN TOURNAMENTS In wrapping up the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic, their final tournament of the season until the Conference USA Tournament in early March, the Lady Cougars went 4-3 in tournament games and have posted a 7-5 record over their last 12 tournament games... They went 1-1 while participating in the Pepperdine Classic earlier this season from November 25-26, losing to Pepperdine and defeating Kentucky... They then went 1-1 in their own tournament, the annual Hiton Houston Hobby Airport Classic held at Hofheinz Pavilion, from December 1-3, losing to Indiana and defeating Louisiana Tech... The Lady Cougars went 2-1 in the latest tournament hosted by Hawaii, defeating both Eastern Washington and Detroit Mercy before falling to Hawaii in the championship game. ONE FOR THE BOOKS... The Lady Cougars 19-point upset win over LaTech on December 3 marked only the fifth time in Conference USA history--and the first time since February, 1997--that a C-USA team defeated a top ten non-conference opponent... Houston's 19-point win was the largest margin of victory over a top 10 team in the history of C-USA... With the win, Houston became the fifth different C-USA school to knock off a Top 10 opponent, joining Charlotte, DePaul, Louisville and Southern Miss. RACK EM UP! Freshman Chandi Jones 32 points against Louisiana Tech on December 3 is the most points scored in a single game by a Lady Cougar since Jennifer Jones scored 36 against Southern Miss on February 16, 1998... The elder Jones 36 points remains ranked tenth on Houston s all-time list for most points scored in a single game. C-USA STANDINGS 2000-01 (Through games of January 16) NATIONAL DIVISION ALL C-USA Houston... 11-6... 4-1 Tulane... 11-6... 4-1 UAB... 10-5... 2-2 Memphis... 9-6...2-2 Southern Miss... 9-7...2-3 South Florida... 3-13... 0-5 AMERICAN DIVISION ALL C-USA Louisville... 9-7...4-1 DePaul... 9-6...3-2 Saint Louis... 11-4...2-2 Cincinnati... 12-4...2-3 Marquette... 6-10...2-3 Charlotte... 5-9...1-3 THIS WEEK S GAMES (All times Central) Friday, January 19 Charlotte at Louisville, 6:00pm Saint Louis at Cincinnati, 6:30pm Tulane at Memphis, 7:00pm Southern Miss at UAB, 7:00pm Sunday, January 21 Charlotte at Cincinnati, 2:00pm DePaul at Marquette, 2:00pm South Florida at Houston, 2:00pm Saint Louis at Louisville, 1:00pm Southern Miss at Memphis, 3:00pm Tulane at UAB, 2:00pm C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK January 15 Marju Sober, Louisville 2000-01 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK November 20 Deanna Jackson, UAB November 27 Tiffany Adkins, Memphis December 3 Chandi Jones, Houston December 11 Marju Sober, Louisville December 18 Valerie King, Cincinnati January 1 Sara Nord, Louisville January 8 Janell Burse, Tulane January 15 Marju Sober, Louisville
PAGE 5 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 DID YOU KNOW? Freshman Chandi Jones attempted 31 field goal attempts in the game against Nebraska on November 22, good for fourthmost in a single game in school history behind Sharion Higgins, who coincidentally made 32 attempts against Nebraska on November 26, 1977. 2000-01 SCORING BY PERIODS 1ST 2ND OT TOTAL HOUSTON 613 634 26 1273 Opponents 515 638 17 1170 2000-01 DEADBALL OFF DEF TOTAL HOUSTON 68 4 72 Opponents 50 5 55 2000-01 HOUSTON VS OPPONENTS UH... OPP Scoring 11273... 1170 Pts per game 74.9...68.8 FG-FGA 473-1147...422-1020 Field Goal Pct..412...414 3-P FG-FGA 56-205...79-223 Three-point Pct..273...354 FT-FTA 271-423...247-371 Free Throw Pct...641....666 Rebounds-RPG 716-42.1...704-41.4 Assists-APG 228-13.4...242-14.2 Turnovers-TOPG 299-17.6...381-22.4 Steals-SPG 187-11.0...139-8.2 Blocks-BPG 61-3.6...59-3.5 HOUSTON S 2000-01 RECORD WHEN... November...3-2 December...4-3 January... 3-1 Overtime...2-0 In last five games...4-1 When score first...8-0 When opponent scores first...3-5 Score tied at half-time... N/A When UH leads at half-time...9-1 When opponent leads at half-time...1-5 Score 70 points or less...0-4 Opponent scores 70 points or less...6-2 Score 70-80 points... 6-2 Opponent scores 70-80 points... 3-3 Score 100 points or more... 1-0 Opponent scores 100 points or more... N/A IN THE RECORD BOOKS The Lady Cougars 104-45 win over McNeese State in the season-opener on November 17--a 59-point margin of victory--ranks eighth all-time in Cougar history... The 104 points scored by the Lady Cougars were just 14 points shy of breaking the all-time school record of 117 points scored against Hawai i Pacific on December 26, 1984. JONES CAPTURES CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS FOR DECEMBER 3 Houston freshman Chandi Jones earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors for the week ending December 3 following an outstanding four games in which led the Lady Cougars in scoring en route to a 3-1 record during the week... The standout freshman led the Lady Cougars offense as she amassed a total of 94 points in the four games, including a season-high 32 in Houston s upset win of No. 9 Louisiana Tech on December 3 and 29 points on December 1 against Indiana... Jones shot over 50 percent from the field in field goals (32-59) throughout the week, nailed 50 percent of her three-point field goals (6-12) and made 75 percent of her free throw attempts (24-32), including 13 of 17 against Indiana and seven-of-eight against Louisiana Tech. HOUSTON PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN C-USA NATIONAL DIVISION In a pre-season poll conducted by Conference USA coaches, the Lady Cougars were picked to come in fifth place in the National Division of Conference USA behind Tulane, UAB, Memphis and Southern Miss... Both DePaul and Tulane are picked to win their respective divisions and compete for the conference title. NO EASY ROAD IN 2000-01 The Lady Cougars have another rugged schedule in 2000-01, playing as many as 17 of 29 regular season games against teams that participated in post-season tournaments last year, including perennial NCAA powers Georgia and Louisiana Tech... This marks the third straight season that the Lady Cougars play at least 10 teams that participated in post-season play the previous season, with eight of those teams winning their first round tournament game... Seven teams on Houston s schedule qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season and six advanced to the NWIT... 14 teams on this year s schedule won 18 or more games last season and 18 teams finished.500 or better. SEASON OUTLOOK: A NEW EXCITEMENT This season marks the first of Curl's three-year reign that the team is comprised primarily of his recruits... Combine that with another strong recruiting season during this past year--one in which high school standout Chandi Jones and sophomore transfer Courtney Pastner joined the Lady Cougars--and Curl is pleased with the team's make-up and confident that the added depth will make a significant difference in winning... This year s roster features nine returnees, including five of them starters from last year, and four newcomers... Two of the newcomers--pastner and and Valerie Muoneke--arrive with junior-college playing experience under their belts... The six transfer players who arrived in Houston last season and had not seen action on the court prior to last season now have a season under their belts as well... With that, every area of play should improve, and Curl and his staff are optimistic about the experience that returnees and transfers alike will contribute. HEAD COACH CURL AND HIS FIRST-YEAR STAFF Houston head coach Joe Curl begins his third season at the helm of the UH women s program... Was named the fifth women s head coach in school history on April 8, 1998... This off-season Curl has rebuilt his staff and since they have been busy working to improve the women s program in trying to establish it as one of the premier programs in the conference as well as the country... Curl first bolstered his coaching staff by adding new assistants DeJuena Carter Chizer and Todd Buchanan... Carter Chizer played for the Lady Cougars from 1983-86, where she was named to the 1986-87 First Team All-Southwest Conference and led the Lady Cougars in scoring with 525 points that season... Also added to the staff is Lesli Vollrath, who played for Curl at Blinn College, as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations... Last year in his second season, Curl and the Lady Cougar team surpassed the previous year s win total in overall games... They achieved their highest-ever seed with a ten seed at the conference tournament... In his first season in 1998-99, Curl led the Lady Cougars to a 5-22 record, with a total of five losses being by four points or less.
PAGE 6 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 ROSALIND CARTER Career... 14, at UAB (1/15/99) Season...5, Twice: at UT-San Antonio (11/29/00) and vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Career...10, at Tulane (2/12/99) Season...6, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Career... 1, Three times, last... vs Memphis (2/26/99) Season...1, at Georgia (12/10/00) Career...1, Four times, last vs... South Florida (2/5/99) Season... N/A Career... 3, at UAB (1/15/99) Season... 1, at Pepperdine (11/25/00) DANIELLE FENDERSON Career... 15, Twice, last... vs Southern Miss (1/1/99) Season... 5, Twice; at Hawaii (12/20/00) and vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Career... 12, vs. UTEP (12/6/98) Season... 2, Four times; last:... at E. Washington (12/19/00) Career... 4, Twice, last at Memphis (1/17/99) Season... 1, at E. Washington (12/19/00) Career...1, Four times,... last at Saint Louis (2/1/99) Season...1, at Georgia (12/10/00) Career...5, vs. South Alabama (12/5/98) Season...4, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) CHANDI JONES Career... 32, vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) Career...13, vs E. Washington (12/18/00) Career...5, vs E. Washington (12/18/00) Career...2, Twice;at Cincinnati (1/5/01)...and at UT-San Antonio (11/29/00) Career...6, at Southern Miss (1/12/01) SHARONDA LASSETER Career... 23, vs. Saint Louis (1/30/98) Season... 21, vs Indiana (12/1/00) Career... 18, at Marquette (1/25/98) Season... 12, Twice: vs Middle Tennessee... (12/30/00) and vs Detroit (12/18/00) Career...2, Three Times, last vs... Memphis (2/19/99) Season... 1, Eight times;...last: vs Louisville (1/7/01) Career... 4, vs Saint Louis (1/30/98)...and at Cincinnati (1/5/01) Season...4, at Cincinnati (1/5/01) LADY COUGAR CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career...3, Five times, last at Nebraska...(11/22/00) CATHY LIDA Career... 21, vs Saint Louis (1/7/00)... and vs Kentucky (11/26/00) Season... 21, vs Kentucky (11/26/00) Career...10, vs UAB (2/4/00) Season... 8, Twice: vs Louisiana Tech... (12/3/00) and at Nebraska (11/22/00) Career... 6, Twice: vs Detroit (12/19/00) and... vs Louisville (1/7/01) Season... 6, Twice: vs Detroit (12/19/00) and... vs Louisville (1/7/01) Career... 2, Three times;... vs Charlotte (1/9/00), at Southern Miss...(2/12/00) and vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) Season... 2, vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) Career...4, Three times; last: at Memphis...(1/15/00) Season...4, Twice: at Tulane (1/14/01)...and at UT-San Antonio (11/29/00) VALERIE MUONEKE Career... 16, at Nebraska (11/22/00) Career...8, Twice: vs McNeese State... (11/17/00) and at Nebraska (11/22/00) Career...3, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Career... 1, Four times; last... vs Louisville (1/7/01) Career...2, at Cincinnati (1/5/01) NORMA NOEL Career... 14, vs Kansas (11/20/99) Season...9, at Hawaii (12/20/00) Career.. 9, at Louisiana-Lafayette (11/23/99) Season...7, Twice: at Cincinnati (1/5/01) and... at Pepperdine (11/25/00) Career... 3, at South Florida (1/2/01) Season... 3, at South Florida (1/2/01) Career...1, Seven times; last: at...southern Miss (1/12/01) Season...1, Twice: at Southern Miss... (1/12/01) and at Pepperdine (11/25/00) Career... 2, Twice: at Nebraska (11/22/00)... and at McNeese State (11/27/99) Season... 2, at Nebraska (11/22/00) NICOLE OLIVER Career... 10, vs Kentucky (11/26/00) Career... 6, Twice: at South Florida (1/2/01)... and at E. Washington (12/19/00) Career... 6, vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) Career...2, Twice: at Cincinnati (1/5/01)... and vs Indiana (12/1/00) Career... 5, at South Florida (1/2/01) JESSICA SHANKLIN Career...27, vs Detroit Mercy (12/19/00) Career...6, vs UAB (2/4/00) Season...5, Twice: at Southern Miss...(1/12/01) and at E. Washington (12/19/00) Career... 11, at Tulane (1/14/01) Career... 2, Three times: last... vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) Season... 2, vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) Career... 5, Twice; at Louisiana-Lafayette...(11/23/99) and vs Southern Miss (1/23/00) Season... 4, Twice: vs Louisiana Tech... (12/3/00) and at Nebraska (11/22/00) CLAIRE STAVROPOULOS Career...10, vs UT-Pan American (2/25/00) Season...9, at Georgia (12/10/00) Career...6, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Career...2, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Career... 1, Twice: at Hawai (12/20/00) and... vs Georgia (12/5/99) Season...1, at Hawaii (12/20/00) Career... 1, Five times; last:... at Pepperdine (11/25/00) Season...1, Twice: at pepperdine (11/25/00)...anf vs McNeese State (11/17/00) MONET SYKES Career... 23, vs Louisville (1/7/01) Career...12, at Cincinnati (1/5/01) Career... 3, Twice: vs Southern Miss... (1/23/00) at Cincinnati (1/5/01) Season...3, at Cincinnati (1/5/01) Career... 3, vs Indiana (12/1/00) Career... 6, vs Southern Miss (1/23/00) Season...4, at Tulane (1/14/01)
PAGE 7 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 LADY COUGAR 2000-01 HIGHS & LOWS INDIVIDUAL GAME...32, Chandi Jones... vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) FIELD GOALS MADE...11, Chandi Jones... vs Louisiana Tech (12/3/00) FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS...31, Chandi Jones... vs Nebraska (11/22/00) 3 PT FG MADE...7, Jessica Shanklin... vs Detroit Mercy (12/19/00) 3 PT FG ATTEMPTS...10, Jessica Shanklin... vs Detroit Mercy (12/19/00) FREE THROWS MADE... 13, Chandi Jones... vs Indiana (12/1/00) FREE THROW ATTEMPTS... 17, Chandi Jones... vs Indiana (12/1/00)... 13, Chandi Jones... vs Eastern Washington (12/18/00)... 11, Jessica Shanklin... at Tulane (1/14/01)...6, Chandi Jones... at Southern Miss (1/12/01)...4, ShaRonda Lasseter... at Cincinnati (1/5/01) TURNOVERS...5, Several Players; last:...monet Sykes vs Middle Tennessee (12/30/00) FOULS...5, Many Players;...last: ShaRonda Lasseter at Cincinnati (1/5/01) CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING... 16... Chandi Jones, 11/17/00-Present TEAM GAME Most... 104, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Fewest... 53, at Nebraska (11/22/00) FIELD GOALS MADE Most...37, at South Florida (1/2/01) Fewest... 20, at Nebraska (11/22/00) MOST FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS Most... 86, at Cincinnati (1/5/01) Fewest...55, vs Indiana (12/1/00) FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Best....552 (37-67), at South Florida (1/2/01) Worst....247 (20-81), at Nebraska (11/22/00) 3-PT FIELD GOALS MADE Most...9, vs Detroit (12/19/00) Fewest... 1, at Pepperdine (11/25/00) 3-PT FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS Most... 20, at Tulane (1/14/01) Fewest...6, at South Florida (1/2/01) 3-PT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Best....474 (9-19), vs Detroit (12/19/00) Worst...091 (1-11) at Pepperdine (11/25/00) FREE THROWS MADE Most... 30, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Fewest...6, at South Florida (1/2/01) FREE THROW ATTEMPTS Most...43, vs Indiana (12/1/00) Fewest... 8, at Cincinnati (1/5/01) Most... 60, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) Fewest... 31, at Hawaii (12/20/00) Most...20, vs McNeese State (11/17/00) and at Tulane (1/14/01) Fewest... 4, at Pepperdine (11/25/00) Most...17, at Nebraska (11/22/00) Fewest... 2, vs Detroit (11/18/00) TURNOVERS Most...25, at Pepperdine (11/25/00) Fewest...6, vs Hawaii (12/20/00) FOULS Most... 26, at Hawaii (12/2/0/00) Fewest...14, vs Louisville (1/7/01) TEAM SEASON CONSECUTIVE WIN STREAK...3; 1/7/01-Present CONSECUTIVE LOSING STREAK...2,11/22-11/26/00 DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING GAMES Chandi Jones... 17 Monet Sykes... 11 ShaRonda Lasseter... 8 Cathy Lida... 4 Jessica Shanklin... 1 Valerie Muoneke... 3 Norma Noel... 0 Danielle Fenderson... 0 Nicole Oliver... 0 Rosalind Carter... 0 Claire Stavropoulos... 0 30+ POINT GAMES Chandi Jones... 2 Cathy Lida... 0 ShaRonda Lasseter... 0 Monet Sykes... 0 Jessica Shanklin... 0 Valerie Muoneke... 0 Norma Noel... 0 Danielle Fenderson... 0 Nicole Oliver... 0 Rosalind Carter... 0 Claire Stavropoulos... 0 20+ POINT GAMES Chandi Jones... 12 Cathy Lida... 2 ShaRonda Lasseter... 1 Monet Sykes... 2 Jessica Shanklin... 1 Valerie Muoneke... 0 Norma Noel... 0 Danielle Fenderson... 0 Nicole Oliver... 0 Rosalind Carter... 0 Claire Stavropoulos... 0 DOUBLE-DOUBLES Monet Sykes... 4... at Cincinnati (1/5/01), 10 py/12 rb... vs Middle Tennessee (12/30/00), 18 pts/10 rb...vs E. Washington (12/18/00), 17 pts/10 rb...at UT-San Antonio (11/29/00), 16 pts/10 rb ShaRonda Lasseter... 3...at South Florida (1/2/01), 11 pts/11 rb...vs Detroit (12/19/00), 13 pts/12 rb...vs Indiana (12/1/00), 21 pts/11 rb Chandi Jones... 1...vs E. Washington (12/18/00), 20 pts/13 rb GAMES LED OR TIED TEAM LEAD IN... SCORING Chandi Jones... 15 Monet Sykes... 1 Jessica Shanklin... 1 Valerie Muoneke... 1 Monet Sykes... 7 ShaRonda Lasseter... 5 Chandi Jones... 4 Cathy Lida... 5 Valerie Muoneke... 2 Norma Noel... 1 Nicole Oliver... 1 Jessica Shanklin... 9 Cathy Lida... 5 Nicole Oliver... 3 Norma Noel... 1 Chandi Jones... 7 Nicole Oliver... 4 Jessica Shanklin... 6 Danielle Fenderson... 2 Monet Sykes... 2 Cathy Lida... 2 ShaRonda Lasseter... 1
PAGE 8 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 CHARTING THE LADY COUGARS IN 2000-01 MONET SYKES 23 Forward, Senior (Cerritos, California) 2000-01 11.8 6.9.420.267.560 Having a career year, scored 21 points in the Jan. 14 win at Tulane and had a team-high eight rebounds... Added four steals. Has scored in double figures 11 times this season, including each of the last nine games. Currently ranked 16th in C-USA in averaging 11.8 points per game... Second on the team with 200 total points scored and a 10.7 per game average. Leads the team with 118 total rebounds and a 6.9 per game average... Ranked 8th in C-USA. Recorded her fourth double-double of the season in scoring 10 points and pulling down a career-high 12 boards at Cincinnati on Jan. 5... Shot 5-of-13 from the field... Registered three assists and two steals. Is ranked fourth in C-USA with four double-double performances this year... Registered her third double-double of the year against Middle Tennessee on Dec. 30 with a season-high 18 points and 11 boards. Her second double-double of the season came on Dec. 18 vs Eastern Washington in scoring 17 points and matching her career high in pulling down 10 boards... The first one came on Nov. 29 at UT-San Antonio with 10 rebounds and 16 points in nailing 8 of 14 shots from the field... Has four in her career. Has started all 15 games for the Lady Cougars, averging 27.5 minutes of action. Was an outstanding sixth player for the Lady Coogs last year who excelled at coming off the bench to provide a spark playing in 27 games, including two starts. SHARONDA LASSETER 24 Forward/Center, Senior (Savannah, Georgia) 2000-01 9.1 6.1.496.000.581 Saw 25 minutes of action in Houston s overtime win over Tulane on Jan. 14... Shot 4-of-5 from the field and 2-for-2 in free throws for 10 points and pulled down six boards... Added one steal. Has appeared in all 17 games, including 13 starts... Averaging 18.9 minutes per game. Recorded her third double-double of the year at USF on Jan. 2 in scoring 11 points and pulling down 11 boards... Also registered a team-leading four blocks and shot 5- of-6 from the field. Pulled down a season-high 12 boards twice, against Middle Tennessee State on December 30 and vs Detroit Mercy on December 19. Currently ranked third in C-USA with three double-double performances on the season... Has 21 double-doubles in her collegiate career. Has scored in double figures eight times this season, including in five of Houston s last nine games. Leads the Lady Cougars with 20 blocks on the year. As of January 15, she was ranked 11th among active players in the league s all-time record book with 631 career rebounds... She now has 658 rebounds in her collegiate career to remain in 11th place. Became the 15th player in Lady Cougar history to score 1,000 points when she nailed a two-point field goal with 2:03 left in the 71-52 upset over LaTech on Dec. 3...She has now scored 1,069 points in her collegiate career. Recorded her first double-double of the season on Dec. 1 vs Indiana with a seasonhigh 21 points and 11 rebounds... Her second came against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 19 with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Currently ranks among the Lady Cougars all-time leaders in field goal percentage, free throws made, free throw attempts, rebounds and blocked shots. Returns for her final season with the Lady Cougars in 00-01 after a solid year last season in which she led the team in scoring (9.7 ppg), rebounding (5.1 rpg), blocked shots (26), field goals (107) and shooting percentage (.517). Is just Scored in double figures 16 times for the Cougars last year, including a season-high 17 against nationally-ranked Tulane, and swatted 20 of her 26 blocks in 16 games against C-USA opponents. CATHY LIDA 21 Guard/Forward, Senior (Chambery, France) 2000-01 7.8 4.5.381.256.550 Made the start at Tulane on Jan. 14... Shot 4-of-8 from the field for nine points... Had five assists, four steals and pulled down three boards. Has appeared in all 17 games this season and made 12 starts this season... Is averaging 26.6 minutes per contest. Won the game over Kentucky on Nov. 26 when she nailed the first of her two free throw shots to give UH a 78-77 lead with five seconds left in the game... Tied her THE RETURNEES career high with 21 points in that contest and nailed eight of her 10 free throw shots. Has scored in double digits in four of her 12 starts this season... In addition to a season-high 21 points against Kentucky, she scored 20 points, including both of her three-point shot attempts and four of her five free throw attempts, against McNeese State on Nov. 17. Returns for her second season with the Lady Cougars as well as her second season of Division I ball after transferring from NJCAA national champion Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, prior to last season Appeared in all 27 games, including 23 starts, for the Lady Coogs in 1999-00 and led the squad with 43 steals and averaged 1.6 thefts per game. Ranked fifth on the team in scoring (8.1 ppg) and second in free throw attempts (58) tied for second with 33 assists. Tallied 10-or-more points 12 times, including a career-high 21 points in a win over C- USA rival Saint Louis, last season. JESSICA SHANKLIN 5 Guard, Senior (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) 2000-01 7.7 2.4.398.318.800 Played 32 minutes in Houston s Jan. 14 overtime win at Tulane... Had a career-high and Lady Cougar season-high 11 assists... Made all four of ehr free throw shots in overtime to aid in the victory... Scored eight points total. Enjoyed a career night Dec. 19 vs Detroit in the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic which she scored a career-high 27 points, including 20 in the first half... Nailed 7-of- 10 three-point field goals, tying Jana Crosby for second on the all-time Lady Cougar list for the most three-pointers made in a single game. Leads the team with 67 assists and is ranked 7th in C-USA... Has had two or more assists in each of her five starts. Second on the squad with 32 steals. Leads the team with 21 three-point field goals and percentage in shooting 21-of-66 (31.8) in three-point field goal attempts. Has appeared in all 17 games and has made five starts this season... Is averaging 27.9 minutes per contest. Posted a season-high four steals twice, at Nebraska on Nov. 22 and vs LaTech on Dec. 3. Appeared in all 28 games, including 20 starts, during the 1999-00 campaign and was the starting guard in each of the last 13 games of the season. Came on strong during the second half of last season, averaging more minutes (27.1), points (7.4), rebounds (2.9), assists (3.1) and steals (1.7) in C-USA games than non-league contests. Lead the team in three-point field goals (25), converting on 31.0 percent of her shots from outside the arc and ranked third on the team in C-USA scoring. NORMA NOEL 31 Forward, Senior (Miami, Florida) 2000-01 3.8 2.9.365.000.667 Played a season-high 26 minutes at Tulane on Jan. 14... Scored four points and pulled down three boards. Leading scorer off the bench with 64 total points (3.8 average). Matched her season-high seven rebounds at Cincinnati on Jan. 5 in 21 minutes of action... Also pulled down seven boards seven rebounds at Pepperdine on Nov. 25. Has appeared in all 17 games this season, averaging 12.7 minutes per game. Scored a season-high six points at Pepperdine Nov. 25... Was 2-for-5 from the field and hit two of her four free throw attempts. Played 15 minutes in UH s season opener vs McNeese State, going a perfect 4-4 in free throws for four total points... Had six rebounds, five on offense. Made 26 appearances last season, including three starts, averaging 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game Ranked second on the squad in free-throw percentage (.678). In the Lady Cougars season opener against Kansas she came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points, grabbed a season-high nine rebounds on the road against UL Lafayette. DANIELLE FENDERSON 32 Guard, Senior (Jonesboro, Georgia) 2000-01 1.2 0.9.214.000.643 Has not played in the last four games. Last saw action at USF on Jan. 2... Played for one minute and had a rebound. Made her first start of the season at Georgia on Dec. 10... Saw 13 minutes of action... Pulled down one rebound while shooting 0-4 from the field. Has appeared in 13 games with one start... Is averaging 6.8 minutes per game.
PAGE 9 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 Has scored nine of her 15 points this season on free throws, having nailed nine of 14 attempts. Played 13 minutes in the season opener vs McNeese State posting a season-high five points, all on free throws (5-of-6)... Registered two rebounds and a team-leading four steals. Is looking to have a big year this year after appearing in all 28 games with nine starts in 1999-00... Averaged 4.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest. Ranked fifth on the team in shooting percentage (.371) and fourth in steals with 39. Scored a season-high 13 points off the bench and pulled down six rebounds against C-USA rival South Florida on January 2, and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds with a season-high with four steals at UAB on January 13. ROSALIND CARTER 30 Forward/Center, Junior (Clinton Mississippi) 2000-01 1.8 1.5.389.000.818 Last saw action at Southern Miss on Jan. 12... Played six minutes and pulled down one rebound. Has appeared in 13 games for Houston, averaging 6.2 minutes per game. Had a season-high six rebounds, four defensive and two offensive, in 11 minutes of playing time in the team s opener vs McNeese State on Nov. 17... Scored a seasonhigh five points in the game... Three of her five points came in free throws. Appeared in 17 games last season, all off the bench, and despite missing due to a leg injury, averaged 4.4 minutes per contest. *ALL-CONFERENCE/FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR/ALL-AMERICAN CANDIDATE* CHANDI JONES 13 Guard/Forward, Freshman (Bay City, Texas) 2000-01 22.1 6.1.438.250.703 Started at Tulane on Jan. 14 and scored 31 points, including 22 in the second half... Nailed nine of her 11 free throw attempts, including going a perfect 6-for-6 in overtime... Shot 10-of-26 from the field overall and had two assists, one steal and one blocked shot. She has now bucketed 30 ore more points twice and has 20 or more points in 12 of Houston s 17 games this season... She is the only Lady Cougar to register double figures in each of the 17 games. Currently the nation s leading freshman scorer and 7th in the country overall averaging 22.1 points per game (as of Jan. 15)... Is second in C-USA behind UAB s Deanna Jackson (26.4)... Ranks atop the conference in both points per C-USA game (24.6) and steals (3.40). Leads the Lady Cougars with 37 total steals on the year. Currently ranked fifth among C-USA players (in all games) averaging 2.18 steals per game... Tied with teammate ShaRonda Lasseter for 13th in C-USA with 6.1 rebounds per game. Was named to the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise All-Tournament team after amassing 60 points and leading the Lady Cougars in rebounds each of the three games December 18-20. Registered her first double-double of the season and of her collegiate career on Dec. 18 vs Eastern Washington... Scored 20 points and pulled down a Lady Cougar season-high 13 boards. Scored a team season-high 32 points vs LaTech Dec. 3... Was the most points scored by a Lady Cougar in a single game since Jennifer Jones scored 36 against Southern Miss on February 18, 1998... Shot 7-15 from the field and 13-17 in free throws... Registered six rebounds. Named Conference USA Player of the Week for Dec. 3 following an outstanding four games that week... Scored a combined 61 points in two games of the Hilton Houston Hobby Classic. Her 17 free throw attempts vs Indiana on Dec. 1 ties Vickey Finch for the second-most free throw attempts in a single game in Lady Cougar history... Finch had 17 attempts against Texas A&M on January 28, 1982. Has started all 17 games this season, averaging a team-high 35.2 minutes per contest. Made her first Division I basketball game start in the season opener Nov. 17 vs McNeese State... Scored 23 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and nailed 7 of her 11 free throw attempts. Her 31 field goal attempts in the game at Nebraska on Nov. 22 ranks fourth all-time in Lady Cougar history. Her father, David, is a Lady Cougar assistant coach. Spent the summer participating in the 2000 USA Basketball Women s Junior World Championships as a member of Team USA. During her senior year in 1999-00, she was named the USA Today Texas Player of the Year as well as to the first team all-state and district MVP... Averaged 28.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Was also named the USA Today Texas Player of the Year in 1998-99, her junior year. THE NEWCOMERS Scored a season-high seven points and pulled down four rebounds against the Lady Longhorns of Texas in December and scored four points against nationally-ranked Georgia, all on shots from the charity stripe. CLAIRE STAVROPOULOS 40 Forward/Center, Junior (Miami, Florida) 2000-01 2.1 1.2.542.000.750 Last saw action Jan. 12 at Southern Miss... Played one minute. Played a season-high 15 minutes at Georgia on Dec. 10... Scored a season-high nine points going 4-for-6 from the field and 1-for-1 in free throws. Has appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 6.3 minutes. Has shot 13-for-24 (.542) from the field this year... Shooting percentage is the best overall on the squad. Pulled down a season-high six rebounds and two assists in the season opener vs McNeese State on Nov. 17. Made 21 appearances in her first season as a Lady Cougar last year averaging 4.8 minutes per game. Best performance of the season came in the final home game against UT-Pan American when she enjoyed a career-high 10 points and four rebounds in just nine minutes and converted on six-of-seven from the free throw line. Overall, she ranked fifth on the team in field goal percentage (.412) and had an even nine offensive and nine defensive rebounds. NICOLE OLIVER 44 Guard/Forward, Freshman (South Sioux City, Nebraska) 2000-01 3.5 3.6.269.263.591 Started Jan. 14 at Tulane... Pulled down five boards, had one assist and two steals. Has appeared in all 17 games, including 14 starts this season... Is averaging 26.5 minutes of action per game... Did not start at Georgia on Dec. 10, the only game this season she has not been in the starting lineup. A strong defensive player, she is second on the team with 31 total steals and tied for third with eight blocks. Scored six points vs McNeese State on Nov. 17 in her Division I debut... Saw 26 minutes of action hitting 3-of-7 from the field and pulling down six rebounds. Was named a Class B all-stater four times during her high school hoops career and holds the South Sioux City High record for steals... Averaged 13.6 points per games while shooting 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point territory during her senior campaign. Is widely known for her defensive prowess, having averaged 4.8 steals per game last season to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. VALERIE MUONEKE 3 Forward/Center, Junior (TR-Houston, Texas) 2000-01 8.8 4.4.408.000.615 Starting center on Jan. 14 at Tulane... Scored seven points and pulled down three rebounds... Shot 3-of-6 from the field in 14 minutes of action. Returned to the court for the first time since Nov. 26 vs Kentucky on Dec. 30 vs Middle Tennessee... Suffered a broken finger on her right hand in the Kentucky game... Scored five points and pulled down three rebounds in her return. Has scored in double-digits three times, including a season-high 16 points at Nebraska on Nov. 22. Has made three starts and appeared in eight games this season... Averaging 20.3 minutes per game. Has registered a season-high eight rebounds twice, vs McNeese State on Nov. 17 and at Nebraska on Nov. 22. A transfer from Connors State JC, Muoneke played in 29 of 30 games last season en route to being named All-Conference (Bi-State Conference) and All-Region for Region II (NJCAA)... Averaged 13.4 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game. Attended Cypress Falls High where she helped the team to Regionals for three straight years.
PAGE 10 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 #1 McNeese State... 45 HOUSTON... 104 November 17 - Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas Oliver* 3-7 0-2 0-2 2 2 5 0 6 26 Sykes* 3-10 1-1 1-2 5 0 8 0 1 20 Lasseter* 3-7 0-0 2-2 6 0 8 0 0 12 Shanklin* 3-6 1-3 0-0 2 0 7 0 4 22 Jones* 8-12 0-3 7-11 6 2 2 1 23 27 Muoneke 5-8 0-0 4-4 8 3 3 0 14 17 Lida 7-11 2-2 4-5 7 2 1 0 20 22 Carter 1-3 0-0 3-4 6 2 0 0 5 11 Noel 0-7 0-0 4-4 6 3 2 0 4 15 Fenderson 0-2 0-0 5-6 2 2 0 0 5 13 Stavropoulos 2-4 0-0 0-0 6 1 2 0 4 15 TOTALS 35-77 4-11 30-40 60 17 20 1 104 200 Houston defeated McNeese State, 104-45,to kick off their 2000-01 season... Marked the first time Houston has scored over 100 points in a regular season game since scoring 104 points against Texas Southern on December 16, 1995... The 104 points scored by the Lady Cougars was just 14 points shy of breaking the all-time school record of 117 points scored against Hawaii Pacific on December 26, 1984... Freshman Chandi Jones, who hit seven of her 11 shots from the field, led the COugars offense with 23 points... Senior Cathy Lida bucketed 20 points, junior transfer Valerie Muoneke scored 14 points and senior Monet Sykes followed with 10 points... The Lady Cougars also combined to hit 30 of 40 free throws as a team... UH is now 6-3 lifetime against McNeese State and improved to a perfect 5-0 against the Lady Cowgirls on home court at Hofheinz Pavilion. #2 Houston... 53 NEBRASKA... 65 November 22 - Bob Davey Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska Jones* 5-31 1-6 5-6 8 4 1 0 16 33 Sykes* 0-5 0-2 0-0 7 3 0 0 0 32 Muoneke* 7-19 0-0 2-4 8 3 2 1 16 29 Shanklin* 3-11 1-8 0-0 3 3 3 0 7 32 Oliver* 1-4 0-2 0-0 4 5 2 1 2 26 Lida 1-4 0-1 1-4 8 2 0 0 3 20 Lasseter 2-5 0-0 2-6 4 1 1 1 6 12 Noel 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 4 Fenderson 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 3 0 0 1 11 Stavropoulos 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 TOTALS 20-81 2-19 11-22 49 24 9 3 53 200 The Lady Cougars came out strong in the first half, taking a quick lead of eight points before Nebraska came back to tie the game and take a 33-24 lead into half-time... Houston played well defensively throughout the game and allowed the Lady Cornhuskers just 19 turnovers to Nebraska s 30... The Lady Coogs also rebounded 49 times, 27 offensively and 22 defensively... Leading the way for the Lady Cougars were freshman Chandi Jones and junior transfer Valerie Muoneke, who each scored 16 points... Jones made five of six free throws... Jones, Muoneke and senior Cathy Lida each registered eight rebounds, and senior Jessica Shanklin had four steals. #3 Houston... 59 PEPPERDINE... 83 November 25 - Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, California Oliver* 1-9 0-1 3-4 5 2 2 1 5 35 Jones* 8-20 1-5 3-7 7 4 1 0 20 35 Lida* 0-5 0-2 4-6 1 1 0 0 4 27 Sykes* 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 5 0 0 0 13 Lasseter* 3-4 0-0 1-3 3 0 1 0 7 20 Muoneke 2-5 0-0 0-1 1 1 0 0 4 13 Shanklin 1-5 0-3 0-0 0 3 0 0 2 22 Carter 1-2 0-0 1-2 3 2 0 0 3 6 Noel 2-5 0-0 2-4 7 3 0 1 6 11 Fenderson 0-0 0-0 2-4 2 1 0 0 2 6 Stavropoulos 2-5 0-0 2-2 3 0 0 0 6 12 TOTALS 20-61 1-11 18-33 39 22 4 2 59 200 Damaris Hinojosa s 17 points led the Lady Waves of Pepperdine University to a 83-59 win over the Lady Cougars in the first game of the Pepperdine Classic... Joined by teammates Sarah Richen and Tamara McDonald, the Lady Waves scored 49 points in the second half to run away with the victory... The Lady Cougars came out strong in the first half and entered half-time down, 34-30... Leading the offense for Houston was the freshman from Bay City, Texas, Chandi Jones, who was the lone Lady Cougar to score doubledigits with 20 points... Jones, along with teammate Norma Noel, had seven rebounds and three turnovers... Fellow freshman Nicole Oliver registered a block, two steals, five rebounds and scored five points, including three of her four free throw attempts... Senior Cathy Lida made four of her six free throw attempts and scored four points. #4 Houston... 78 Kentucky... 77 #5 Houston... 71 UT-San Antonio... 57 #6 Indiana... 81 HOUSTON... 77 November 26 - Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, California Muoneke* 3-7 0-0 0-0 4 2 2 1 6 12 Shanklin* 3-9 0-3 0-0 4 0 2 0 6 33 Oliver* 2-6 2-2 4-6 2 4 2 0 10 28 Jones* 8-12 0-0 1-3 3 2 1-17 32 Sykes* 3-5 0-0 1-2 6 3 1 0 7 25 Lida 6-8 1-2 8-10 6 1 3 0 21 29 Lasseter 2-7 0-0 2-2 5 4 1 1 6 20 Noel 2-10 0-0 1-3 3 1 1 0 5 14 Fenderson 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 2 Stavropoulos 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 5 TOTALS 29-65 3-7 17-26 39 18 13 2 78 200 Senior Cathy Lida nailed the first of two free throw shots to give the Lady Cougars a 78-77 lead with five seconds left in the game as Houston took their second and final game of the Pepperdine Classic over Kentucky... With the score tied, 77-77, and the Lady Cougars making a final drive to take the lead, Kentucky s LaTonya McDole fouled Lida with five seconds left of regulation to set up two free throw shots... Lida sunk the first one for the lead, and as the Lady Wildcats brought the ball in, an intercepted pass by Houston senior Jessica Shanklin with two seconds left ended the game... Houston went into half-time with a 42-29 lead and held a lead of as high as 17 points into the second half before Kentucky came back to tie the score with just under five minutes left... Lida was the leading scorer for the Lady Cougars and tied her career high with 21 points, including making eight of her 10 free throw attempts... She was followed by freshmen Chandi Jones and Nicole Oliver as players to score in double digits with 17 and 10 points, respectively... Senior Jessica Shanklin led the Houston defensive brigade with three steals and a team-high four defensive rebounds. November 29 - Convocation Center San Antonio, Texas Shanklin* 2-7 1-4 1-2 3 2 5 0 6 35 Oliver* 2-7 0-1 0-0 4 1 2 0 4 25 Jones* 6-12 1-2 3-4 5 4 4 2 16 32 Sykes* 8-14 0-1 0-2 10 3 1 1 16 34 Lasseter* 5-7 0-0 2-5 4 3 1 0 12 17 Lida 2-6 0-2 2-5 5 1 2 0 6 29 Carter 2-2 0-0 1-1 1 1 0 0 5 5 Noel 2-3 0-0 0-0 2 5 0 0 4 12 Fenderson 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 4 10 Stavropoulos 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 1 TOTALS 30-59 2-10 9-19 38 21 15 3 71 200 Senior Monet Sykes had a career-high 10 rebounds and three Lady Cougars scored in double digits as the University of Houston won their second straight game with a 71-57 win over the Lady Roadrunners... The Lady Cougars went into halftime with a 33-31 lead and turned it up a notch outscoring UTSA, 38-26, in the second half to hold on for the victory... With the victory the Lady Cougars improve to 14-0 lifetime against UT-San Antonio... Sykes and freshman Chandi Jones led the Houston offense with 16 points each and senior ShaRonda Lasseter bucketed a season-high 12 points... Sykes shot an impressive eight-of-12 from the field and Jones hit 50 percent of her shots as well as three of four free throw attempts... Jones has now scored in double digits in each of Houston s five games this season... Sykes 10 rebounds were both a Lady Cougar season high and a personal high, surpassing her previous career-high of seven rebounds, which she accomplished five times, most recently against UT-Pan American on February 25, 2000... Jones also added two blocks and two steals, and senior Jessica Shanklin s five assists also aided in the Lady Cougars attack. December 1 - Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, Texas Sykes* 3-15 0-2 5-6 8 5 2 3 11 29 Oliver* 1-3 0-0 1-2 2 2 1 2 3 28 Lasseter* 8-13 0-0 5-10 11 3 1 1 21 22 Shanklin* 3-5 1-3 1-2 1 3 6 1 8 39 Jones* 7-15 2-4 13-17 6 2 1 1 29 38 Lida 0-2 0-1 2-4 2 3 2 0 2 18 Carter 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 6 Noel 1-1 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 0 3 10 Fenderson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0 7 Stavropoulos 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 TOTALS 23-55 3-10 28-43 34 21 13 8 77 200 Indiana junior Heather Cassady nailed a three-point shot with 11 seconds left in the game to give the Lady Hoosiers a 79-77 lead, and following a Houston foul, nailed both free throw shots for a four-point lead as Indiana held on for the win... Indiana senior Rachael Honegger had a double-double, scoring a team-high 18 points and registering 10 rebounds, to lead the Lady Hoosiers to a 15-point comeback in the first half... Indiana quickly saw their lead dwindle as the Lady Cougars came back to tie and take a 76-75 lead on senior ShaRonda Lasseter s two-point bucket with 1:27 remaining... Houston standout freshman Chandi Jones once again lead the scoring brigade for the Lady Cougars with a season-high 29 points, the most by a Lady Cougar since Jennifer Jones scored 36 against Southern Miss on February 16, 1998... Jones shot 7-of-15 from the field and hit two three-pointers, as well as 13 of 17 free throw attempts. Lasseter and fellow senior Monet Sykes joined in the double figures in points, Lasseter with a season-high 21 and Sykes with 11... Lasseter brought down a Houston season-high 11 rebounds, senior Jessica Shanklin had six assists and Sykes had three blocks and two steals.
PAGE 11 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 #7 Louisiana Tech... 52 HOUSTON... 71 #8 Houston... 61 GEORGIA... 92 #9 Houston... 73 E. WASHINGTON... 60 December 3 - Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, Texas Lida* 6-14 1-3 2-2 8 1 0 2 15 36 Lasseter* 5-13 0-0 1-2 8 4 0 1 11 27 Jones* 11-20 3-6 7-8 6 2 1 0 32 38 Sykes* 0-5 0-0 0-0 4 4 2 0 0 20 Oliver* 0-1 0-1 0-1 3 1 6 0 0 23 Shanklin 3-7 2-4 0-0 3 0 6 2 8 29 Carter 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0 2 13 Noel 1-3 0-0 1-2 3 2 1 0 3 14 Fenderson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ Stavropoulos 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ TOTALS 27-64 6-14 11-15 40 16 16 5 71 200 In one of the biggest wins for the Houston women s basketball program in recent years, the Lady Cougars upset Louisiana Tech, ranked No. 11 by the Associated Press and No. 9 by ESPN/USA Today, in a 19-point, 71-52 victory... The two teams went back-and-forth in scoring throughout the first half until the Lady Cougars took control mid-way through the half... UH went up six points, thanks to a string of five-for-six three-point buckets, with just under three minutes to play and entered half-time leading LaTech, 34-29... They outscored the LaTech, 37-23, in the second half, shooting 45 percent from the field, and had a lead as big as 24 points with 1:22 left in regulation play... UH freshman Chandi Jones led the offense with a team-high 32 points, the most scored by a Lady Cougar in two seasons and the most since Jennifer Jones scored 36 against Southern Miss on February 16, 1998... The younger Jones shot 11-of-20 from the field and nailed 7- of-8 three-point attempts and pulled down six rebounds... Seniors Cathy Lida and ShaRonda Lasseter scored 15 and 11 points, respectively, and each brought down a team-leading eight rebounds... Shanklin tied Houston s team seasonhigh with four steals in the game. December 10 - Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia Jones* 7-14 0-2 1-5 4 4 1 0 15 30 Lida* 3-8 3-4 0-2 3 3 3 0 9 32 Lasseter* 2-6 0-0 0-0 4 2 1 1 4 19 Sykes* 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 4 0 0 4 14 Fenderson* 0-4 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 1 0 13 Shanklin 2-7 1-6 2-2 2 0 2 0 7 28 Oliver 4-10 1-1 0-0 4 1 1 0 9 29 Carter 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 1 1 0 0 6 Noel 0-2 0-1 4-4 1 5 2 0 4 14 Stavropoulos 4-6 0-0 1-1 1 1 0 0 9 15 TOTALS 24-63 5-14 8-14 32 21 11 2 61 200 A week after their upset win over No. 9 Louisiana Tech at Hofheinz Pavilion, UH traveled to Athens, Georgia, to take on the second top ten team in as many games and were outpowered by No. 5 Georgia, 92-61... The Lady Bulldogs controlled the game from the first half, taking a 44-29 lead into the second half... They had four players to score in double figures, with senior twins Kelly and Coco Miller leading the way with 19 and 16 points, respectively... For the Lady Cougars, freshman Chandi Jones, the Conference USA Player of the Week following her 32-point performance in the LaTech game, once again led the way with 15 points... Senior point guard Cathy Lida was the only other Lady Cougar to score near double figures as she matched her personal career high in nailing three three-point shots for the first time since hitting three three-pointers against Louisiana-Lafayette on November 23, 1999 for nine points... Junior Claire Stavropoulos scored a season-high nine points of the bench, shooting four-of-six from the field. December 18 - Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii - Ala Moana Classic Oliver* 3-4 0-1 0-1 6 3 0 0 6 25 Jones* 8-21 1-4 3-4 13 2 5 1 20 38 Shanklin 4-11 1-5 0-0 5 1 1 0 9 27 Lida* 2-8 0-1 1-4 2 2 3 0 5 28 Sykes* 6-13 0-0 5-9 10 3 1 1 17 29 Lasseter* 4-8 0-0 2-5 5 2 0 3 10 22 Carter 0-0 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 2 4 Noel 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 2 9 Fenderson 0-2 0-0 0-0 2 3 1 0 0 10 Stavropoulos 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0 2 8 TOTALS 29-70 2-11 13-25 46 19 11 5 73 200 Playing a strong, balanced game from tip-off, the Lady Cougars controlled the game and went into half-time with a 46-29 lead, thanks to nine rebounds, four assists and 12 first-half points from freshman Chandi Jones, as well as nine points from seniors Jessica Shanklin and Monet Sykes... Houston never had less than a 10-point lead throughout the game as they moved above.500 for their overall season record and improved to 5-4 on the year... Jones once again led the scoring with 20 total points in addition to her Lady Cougar season-high 13 rebounds... She also had five assists on the night, and made three of four free throw attempts... Following Jones in the double-digit scoring brigade were Sykes with 17 and fellow senior ShaRonda Lasseter... Sykes matched her career high for the second time this season in pulling down 10 rebounds she had 10 rebounds at UT-San Antonio on November 29 in Houston s 71-57 victory. #10 Detroit... 80 Houston... 90 December 19 - Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii - Ala Moana Classic Shanklin 9-14 7-10 2-2 3 2 5 0 27 31 Jones* 4-9 0-0 11-15 8 2 4 0 19 33 Lida* 0-3 0-2 2-4 6 1 6 0 2 22 Sykes* 8-18 1-3 1-3 8 3 0 0 18 37 Lasseter* 3-7 0-0 7-8 12 4 0 0 13 26 Carter 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 8 Noel 2-3 0-0 2-2 4 6 0 0 6 9 Fenderson 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 4 Stavropoulos 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 1 0 2 5 Oliver* 1-4 1-3 0-0 3 2 2 0 3 25 TOTALS 28-62 9-19 25-34 50 17 18 2 90 200 Senior Jessica Shanklin had a career performance in scoring 27 points 21 of which came on a career-high seven threepointers to lead Houston... Along with a two-point field goal, Shanklin nailed six three-point shots in the first half for 20 points and later tied Jana Crosby for the second-most threepointers made in a single game by a Lady Cougar when she hit her seventh of the game in the second half with 7:45 left... Joining Shanklin in scoring double figures were freshman Chandi Jones with 19 points and seniors Monet Sykes (18) and ShaRonda Lasseter (13)... Lasseter recorded her third double-double of the season and the second in as many games in pulling down a season-high 12 rebounds along with her 13 points. Jones nailed 11 of 15 free throw attempts, and both her and Sykes added eight rebounds... The Lady Cougars carried a 49-34 lead into the second half and led by no less than 10 points throughout the final 20 minutes of the game. #11 Houston... 74 HAWAI I... 85 December 20 - Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii - Ala Moana Classic Oliver* 0-2 0-1 2-2 1 5 1 1 2 24 Jones* 8-20 0-4 5-9 4 5 2 0 21 35 Lida* 1-2 0-1 0-1 2 1 3 0 2 24 Sykes* 4-16 1-2 2-4 4 3 0 1 11 32 Lasseter* 4-10 0-0 0-1 6 3 0 2 8 21 Shanklin 3-8 1-3 1-2 1 5 3 0 8 23 Carter 1-1 0-0 2-2 1 0 0 0 4 4 Noel 2-3 0-0 5-8 3 1 0 0 9 17 Fenderson 2-2 0-0 1-2 0 3 0 0 5 8 Stavropoulos 2-4 0-0 0-1 4 0 0 1 4 12 TOTALS 27-68 2-11 18-32 31 26 9 5 74 200 The Lady Cougars, down 43-23 at half-time, came out strong in the second half and came within five points in the final two minutes of the game... Consecutive two-point field goals by senior Jessica Shanklin and junior Claire Stavropoulos in the final seconds cut the Rainbow Whine led to 79-74 before three consecutive fouls by Houston allowed Hawaii to increase their lead to 85-74 in the closing seconds... Freshman Chandi Jones scored 21 points, marking the sixth time in the Lady Cougars 11 games this season that she has scored 20 or more points... Joining Jones in scoring double figures was senior Monet Sykes with 11 points... Senior point guard ShaRonda Lasseter pulled down a team-leading six rebounds, followed by Sykes, Jones and Stavropoulos with four boards each... Houston finished the annual tournament with a 2-1 overall record and were runner-up to Hawaii, which carried a 3-0 record throughout competition. #12 Mid Tennessee... 72 HOUSTON... 77 December 30 - Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, Texas Jones* 10-19 1-5 4-5 5 2 3 0 25 38 Lida* 2-10 1-5 3-4 4 2 2 0 8 33 Sykes* 8-15 0-0 2-4 11 3 1 0 18 32 Lasseter* 4-9 0-0 2-5 12 4 0 0 10 20 Oliver* 1-6 1-1 0-0 4 2 2 0 3 23 Muoneke 2-9 0-0 1-2 3 1 1 0 5 15 Shanklin 2-4 1-2 3-4 1 3 2 0 8 19 Carter 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 3 Noel 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 0 7 Fenderson 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 3 Stavropoulos 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 7 TOTALS 29-72 4-13 15-24 47 18 11 0 77 200 The Lady Cougars came out strong in the first half and quickly went up on the Lady Raiders with a lead as big as 20 points just minutes before half-time... They entered half-time with a 41-24 lead, and although Middle Tennessee outscored Houston, 48-36, in the second half, the Lady Cougars held on for the victory... Freshman Chandi Jones scored over 20 points for the seventh time in 12 games as she paced the Lady Cougars in shooting 10- of-19 from the field and was 4-for-5 in free throws for 25 points... Seniors ShaRonda Lasseter and Monet Sykes also led Houston as both registered their third double-doubles of the year... Lasseter scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Sykes tied her season high with 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds... In addition to her out point-scoring efforts, Jones aided the Houston offense with a team-leading three assists and also had a seasonhigh four steals... Junior Valerie Muoneke, out since November 26 with a broken finger on her right hand, returned to the floor and along with seniors Cathy Lida and Jessica Shanklin had two steals.
PAGE 12 - HOUSTON LADY COUGARS vs SOUTH FLORIDA, Sunday, January 21, 2001 #13 Houston... 82 SOUTH FLORIDA... 59 January 2 - USF Sun Dome Tampa, Florida Oliver* 1-5 0-1 0-0 6 1 2 0 2 26 Sykes* 8-15 0-0 1-3 8 1 1 0 17 29 Lasseter* 5-6 0-0 1-2 3 3 1 4 11 18 Jones* 10-13 2-2 0-0 5 2 3 0 22 35 Lida* 4-8 0-2 2-4 3 3 2 0 10 22 Muoneke 7-11 0-0 0-0 6 4 2 1 2 19 Shanklin 1-4 0-1 0-0 2 0 3 0 2 19 Carter 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 4 Noel 1-3 0-0 2-4 2 2 3 0 4 17 Fenderson 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Stavropoulos 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 TOTALS 37-67 2-6 6-13 39 17 17 5 82 200 The Lady Cougars had a season-high five players reach double figures in scoring as they defeated the University of South Florida Bulls by a final of 82-59 at the USF Sun Dome in their first Conference USA game of the season on Tuesday, January 2... Pacing the Lady Cougars was freshman Chandi Jones with a team-leading 22 points... She was joined by seniors Monet Sykes (17), ShaRonda Lasseter (11) and Cathy Lida (10), and junior transfer Valerie Muoneke (14) as the Houston players to score in double figures... Jones shot 10-of-13 from the field including both Lady Cougar three-point field goals, and helped the Lady Cougars build a 45-22 half-time lead with 14 first-half points... Defensively for Houston, Jones and fellow freshman Nicole Oliver each registered five steals, Lasseter had four blocks and Sykes pulled down a team-high eight boards... The 23-point win was the largest margin of victory Houston has ever had over a Conference USA opponent since becoming a founding member of the conference prior to the 1996-97 season... Houston controlled the game from tip-off and built a 20-point lead half-way through the first half... Both schools scored an even 37-37 in the second half, but Houston held on and dominated in forcing the Bulls for 23 turnovers. #16 Houston... 66 SOUTHERN MISS... 56 January 12 - Reed Green Coliseum Hattiesburg, Mississippi Lida* 1-4 0-2 0-2 7 1 1 0 2 27 Sykes* 8-15 0-0 3-5 4 2 0 0 19 39 Lasseter* 1-1 0-0 3-4 4 2 0 2 5 20 Jones* 9-21 0-1 6-7 6 3 4 1 24 36 Oliver* 1-3 0-0 0-0 4 2 1 0 2 22 Muoneke 2-6 0-0 0-0 0 2 1 0 4 13 Shanklin 3-6 2-4 0-0 5 0 5 0 8 28 Carter 0-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 6 Noel 1-2 0-0 0-0 4 0 0 1 2 8 Stavropoulos 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 TOTALS 26-61 2-7 121-18 39 12 12 4 66 200 The Lady Cougars took control in the second half and finished strong with 19 points in the final ten minutes of regulation to hold off the Lady Eagles and win their third C-USA contest of the year by a final of 66-56...With Southern Miss holding a 26-24 advantage entering half-time, Houston s offense came alive... Freshman Chandi Jones, an All-Conference and All-American candidate, led the way with 22 second-half points and four defensive steals... Senior Monet Sykes scored nine points in the first half and added ten more in the second half as both girls finished the game in double digits... Jones 24 total points marks the eleventh time in Houston s 16 games this season that she has scored 20 or more points... Sykes extended her double-digit scoring streak to eight consecutive games with 19 total points on the night... Senior Jessica Shanklin led the squad with five assists, and fellow senior Cathy Lida had three steals to go along with her team-leading seven rebounds. #14 Houston... 62 CINCINNATI... 63 January 5 - Shoemaker Center Cincinnati, Ohio Sykes* 5-13 0-2 0-0 12 2 3 0 10 32 Oliver* 0-4 0-2 1-2 4 2 0 2 1 30 Lasseter* 3-8 0-0 1-1 7 5 0 1 7 13 Jones* 9-26 2-4 2-3 8 4 1 2 22 42 Lida* 3-10 0-3 0-0 3 2 0 1 6 26 Muoneke 4-16 0-0 0-0 4 2 0 0 8 25 Shanklin 1-4 0-1 0-0 2 2 5 0 2 31 Carter 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 2 5 Noel 1-3 0-0 2-2 7 1 2 0 4 21 TOTALS 27-86 2-12 6-8 52 20 11 6 62 225 In an offensive battle between conference rivals, the Lady Bearcats came out on top in overtime by a final of 63-62... The Lady Cougars took a 26-23 lead into half-time, and as both schools went back-and-forth in scoring in the first 17 minutes of the second half, the Houston defense shut down the Cincinnati offense in the final three minutes of regulation as the Lady Cougars came back to tie and force the contest in overtime... Freshman Chandi Jones nailed a three-point shot with 1:51 left to pull Houston within two points at 55-57, and junior transfer Valerie Muoneke put in a two-point shot with 1:21 left and tie the game at 57-57... In Houston s first overtime of the season, Jones scored all five of Houston s points in the final five minutes... She put in a two-point basket to go up 59-57, and with the Lady Cougars down 62-59 with less than a minute remaining, she nailed a game-tying three-point field goal with 27 seconds left... A Houston foul allowed Lady Bearcat Tammy Douglas two free throws, and she nailed the first one for the Cincinnati lead... Jones registered her ninth 20-plus point game of the year as she poured in 22 total points... Senior Monet Sykes recorded her teamhigh fourth double-double of the season as she scored 10 points and pulled down 12 boards. #17 Houston... 90 TULANE... 80 January 14 - Fogelman Arena New Orleans, Louisiana Sykes* 10-21 1-2 0-0 8 4 1 1 21 38 Oliver* 0-1 0-0 0-0 5 2 1 0 0 27 Muoneke* 3-6 0-0 1-2 3 3 0 0 7 14 Jones* 10-26 2-11 9-11 3 2 2 1 31 39 Lida* 4-8 1-3 0-0 3 2 5 0 9 24 Shanklin 2-6 0-4 4-4 4 1 11 0 8 32 Lasseter 4-5 0-0 2-2 6 4 0 0 10 25 Noel 1-3 0-0 2-4 3 1 0 0 4 26 TOTALS 34-76 4-20 18-23 40 19 20 2 90 225 Houston snapped a seven-game losing streak against Tulane handing the Green Wave a 90-80 overtime loss... In a physical game from tip-off, Houston started slow and entered half-time down to Tulane, 34-31, thanks in part to the Green Wave s Janell Burse s 14 points... The Lady Cougar offense got into a rhythm and came alive in the second half... Freshman Chandi Jones poured in 22 second-half points, including making all six of her free throw attempts, and senior Monet Sykes key shots accumulated for 17 points as Houston took the lead within the first six minutes of the half and outscored Tulane, 38-35... Down by two points with 22 seconds left in regulation, the Green Wave tied the score at 69-69 to force the game into overtime as Burse nailed both of her free throws... In overtime, Tulane scored first and the Lady Cougars went on a rampage... They would score 21 points in the next fourand-a-half minutes 12 coming on free throw shots from six Tulane fouls and hold off the Green Wave for their secondstraight C-USA win and their third consecutive win overall... Senior Jessica Shanklin, who had a Lady Cougar season-high 11 assists in the game, connected for all four of her free throw attempts and Sykes added six points in the extra minutes... In addition to Jones, who shot 10-of 26 on the day including 9-of-11 from the free throw line, and Sykes, who shot 10-of-21 on the afternoon, senior ShaRonda Lasseter was the other Lady Cougar to score in double figures as she shot 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for 10 points... Sykes pulled down a team-high eight boards and added four steals... Overall in the game, the Houston defense had 16 steals against Tulane and also forced 23 Green Wave turnovers to Tulane s 15 off the Lady Cougars. #14 Louisville... 63 HOUSTON... 85 January 7 - Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, Texas Lida* 3-7 1-3 2-3 7 1 6 1 9 33 Sykes* 8-14 0-0 7-10 7 3 2 3 23 35 Muoneke* 5-11 0-0 0-0 7 2 0 1 10 25 Jones* 7-17 0-5 10-13 7 3 3 1 24 37 Oliver* 0-2 0-0 2-2 3 2 2 1 2 24 Shanklin 2-4 2-2 2-2 0 1 4 0 8 26 Lasseter 1-3 0-0 3-4 4 2 1 1 5 13 Noel 2-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 4 7 TOTALS 28-60 3-10 26-34 41 14 18 6 85 200 The Lady Cougars jumped out to an early 13-0 lead in the first half and controlled the court from then on as they routed C-USA rival Louisville by a final of 85-63 at Hofheinz Pavilion on Sunday, January 7... Senior Monet Sykes paced Houston out of the shoot with 14 first-half points and went on to shoot 8-of-14 from inside the arc en route to a career-high 23 points... Freshman standout Chandi Jones scored 20-ormore points for the fifth consecutive game as she shot 7-of- 17 from the field and went 10-for-13 in free throw attempts for 24 total points... Cathy Lida added an impressive first half with a career-high six assists, six rebounds and seven points... The Lady Cougars came out strong in the first half and built a 13-0 lead before the Lady Cardinals put a point on the board with 15:04 left in the half on a free throw... The Houston defense, which forced 19 Louisville turnovers in the game, shut down the Cardinal offense and did not allow Louisville to reach double digits in points until Kara Kessens hit a two-point field goal to make the score 37-11 with 6:51 left in the first half... Houston entered half-time with a 43-25 lead, and although Louisville came back to come within eight points late in the second half, 16 second-half fouls by Louisville led to 22 free throw points for the Lady Cougars as they held on for the victory... The victory was Houston s first career win over Louisville.